Saturday, March 30, 2013

The Invasion






For the past week or so black birds have invaded us.  As you can see from the not so great photos taken on an iPhone during a snow flurry from a moving car there is quite a flock of them.  They have been swarming around the farm, the front and back yards, the neighboring fields and in general making a nuisance of themselves. It’s eerily reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”.  I wonder if there is something to do with our changing climate or if they are just migrating to somewhere else.  If they’re on their way to another part of the country I wish they would just go.  I’m not opposed to birds but having a flock of this size can only leave a lot of bird poop and I’m worried if any are carrying diseases that can be transmitted to the horses?  I suppose on the upside they may be eating lots of bugs or perhaps mosquito and fly larvae.  That might be their only saving grace.

Until next time
Quote for Today
“Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie”
- An old nursery rhyme-

11 comments:

  1. That's A LOT of birds! I might get bashed for this, but I am not an avid bird fan. Maybe it is because I am a Leo, who knows. I can appreciate a pretty bird or a nice lilting song, but most of the birds around here are blue jays and they make a real annoying squawk sound that is like nails on a chalkboard to me.
    That many birds would definitely give me the willies. And all that bird poop? Sheesh! I hope they do get the bugs and clear out soon for you.
    Even though the special effects in the movie The Birds is pretty cheesy, it still creeps me out.

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  2. oh my goodness! I don't know about them transmitting diseases, but it appears their primary diet is insects. have you gotten to see the 'murmurations' that big flocks do in the sky? if not, search for murmurations on youtube. they are fantastic!
    - The Equestrian Vagabond

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  3. Hopefully they will move on soon. A few times a year we get a big flock that come through. They usually go from ground to trees a few times and then head on their way. I find them fascinating and also love watching the cats - that many birds all at once stops them in their tracks! The murmurations are gorgeous - definitely google to see some in action if you haven't already!

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  4. We have invasions of flocks like that as well. My lawn will be almost black with them. They dropped by for several mornings about a month ago, and every now and then I see them in the fields. My biggest frustration is that they clean out my bird feeder in about two minutes and the poor little snowbirds have nothing left.

    They do seem to find things to eat in the grass, so we can hope they are noshing on bugs and such. I don't worry too much about diseases from them. What's even more amazing than their numbers is the noise they make!!

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  5. Gosh that looks quite scary. Could you shoot off a shotgun over them to scare them away??. Hope they go soon along with those snow flurries

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  6. These large flocks are migrating through and using your pastures as a rest/snack stopover. Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, a few Robins and who know who else are mixed up in the crowd!
    No worries...they will move on to other pastures soon!

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  7. Its looks so haunted and scary place...Iadmire you for visiting such places for photo shoot

    Android Developer

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  8. Makes you feel like you're in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, doesn't it? Definitely don't miss that part of living down South. It always creeped me out.

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  9. The birds came back early here, too, but not as many. Sounds like yours are making a pit stop. :)

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  10. Baking Them, In A Pie....Hum!

    Yea, We've The Robins, Hords Of Them...Eating Holly, And Pooping Little Bushes Out( It Seems) In My Garden!

    It's Definitely A Sign!

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  11. I agree with your comment about the climate and something going on. In early February we had a flock of ROBINS visit out yard. Considering we are in Michigan, this was pretty early in the year, but even more strange, I never in my 50 years remember seeing a FLOCK of robins like that. There were a couple hundred of them. Normally robins come in pairs, maybe a threesome. Never in huge flocks. In talking to a friend in WV, she had a flock of robins stop by as well. VERY odd.

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